George Osborne: Electioneering is putting confidence in Britain's economy at risk

"If they expect the economy to return to growth this year, how can they continue with large increases in public spending next year that the country cannot afford? Most other countries are looking for ways to turn the spending taps off, not to open them up. The answer has everything to do with the politics of an lelection and nothing to do with the economic interests of the British people." – George Osborne writing in the Daily Telegraph

"Britain risks losing the confidence of the international markets unless it started tackling its record budget deficit, Conservative shadow chancellor George Osborne said on Friday. Speaking ahead of a G20 finance ministers' meeting in London this weekend, he said Britain's huge debt and continued public spending threatened to stall its recovery." – Reuters

"Huge variations in dental costs across the country have emerged from figures showing that in some areas practitioners are paid almost 10 times as much as others… The shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, claimed the wide price variation proved that the system was not working. "It's not surprising dentists are deeply unhappy with NHS dentistry when the system Labour has created is so flawed," he said. "It must be hugely frustrating for many dentists to know that others just down the road are being paid so much more for doing very similar work. The contract the government has introduced for NHS dentists needs a complete overhaul if we are to turn things around. We need to give our NHS dentists a better system in which to work if people are to get the dental care they need." – The Guardian

Dominic Grieve attacked in constituency office over planning row

"Dominic Grieve, the shadow justice secretary, was attacked in his constituency office yesterday in a row over planning. The assault, by a female constituent, is understood to have happened following a heated discussion at the office in Beaconsfield." – Daily Telegraph

Boris suggests people fast for a day during Ramadan to learn more about Islam…

"I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam, increase your understanding and learning, even fast for a day with your Muslim neighbour and break your fast at the local mosque. I would be very surprised if you didn't find that you share more in common than you thought. Muslims are at the heart of every aspect of society. Their contribution is something that all Londoners benefit from. Muslim police officers, doctors, scientists and teachers are an essential part of the fabric of London." – Boris Johnson quoted in the Daily Telegraph

…as the London Mayor's former deputy faces fraud charges

"A
tumultuous week for Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, continued
yesterday when one of his former leading aides was charged with fraud.
Ian Clement, the former deputy mayor for external relations, will
appear in court on Tuesday charged with five counts of abusing his
expenses. It caps a rough week for the Conservative administration in
London. Johnson and his handpicked head of policing came under fire for
claiming they had seized control of the Metropolitan police. Kit
Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing, told the Guardian he and the
mayor had "their hands on the tiller" of Scotland Yard, drawing a
furious reaction from the Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson." – The Guardian

Independent-minded Zac Goldsmith: I'm too rich to be corrupted

"A multimillionaire Tory candidate has claimed that he is too rich to be corrupted, while poorer MPs are distracted by trying to fiddle their expenses. … “Politics mustn’t become a place where you have to be wealthy to be independent,” Mr Goldsmith told The Mail on Sunday Live magazine. “The flip side, for me at least, is that I was born into a position of privilege and am therefore not corruptible"… He added: “I have never been a member of a party in the sense that one supports a football team. If I need to campaign on the issues that matter to me, then I will." – Daily Telegraph

Further coverage of Nigel Farage's decision to quit the UKIP leadership to concentrate on challenging John Bercow in Buckingham

“In the past we were perceived as a one-man band but that is just not the case anymore. We have a breadth and depth of talent that can take up the role of party leader very well, allowing me to be spokesman in Europe and also freeing me up to do what is necessary to win the Buckingham seat". Nigel Farage MEP quoted in The Times

"Tashi Bhutia, Britain's first Tory Gurkha, has won a local council election. The Nepalese ex-serviceman, who will represent the Luton and Wayfield ward, received 1,042 votes, just four ahead of a rival Labour candidate in a turnout of 30 per cent." – Daily Telegraph

The FT welcomes the prospect of a leaders' TV debate during the election

"The traditional line that Britain should not go down the American path of character-driven politics, and that televised debates between party leaders would contribute to the presidentialisation of British politics, is high-minded, but quaint. For better or worse, Britons have long voted for leaders as much as for parties, manifestos or local candidates." – FT editorial

Matthew Parris: The Tories are beginning to equivocate on Aghanistan

"What of the Tories? How are they feeling about Britain’s souring task in Helmand? Having once been one of them, I can tell you this: there’s no point asking. You won’t get a straight answer. There are three good reasons for this, and one bad one. The bad reason is that most MPs don’t stick their necks out or they wouldn’t have heads." – Matthew Parris writing in The Times

Iain Duncan Smith: Intervention in dysfunctional families must be a priority

"To those who prefer to deal only with the symptoms of social failure, I can only say that the burgeoning criminal justice costs show you cannot arrest your way out of this problem. Unless we intervene now to change the lives of the next generation, our children and grandchildren will bear an almost impossible social and financial cost." – Iain Duncan Smith writing in the Daily Telegraph

Alice Thomson: Why politicians love The X Factor

"The X Factor has become the show that every politician must watch rather than the Six O’Clock News or Question Time. Now that politicians find it increasingly nerve-racking actually talking to voters for fear that they will start complaining about moats and manure, The X Factor is their dose of normality, their way of feeling connected to the public… The Prime Minister fires off e-mails at 3am but never 7pm on a Saturday now that X Factor is back… The Tories are equally consumed. For a few years their Bible was The West Wing. Now it’s X Factor and Simon Cowell, the series’ creator and Mr Nasty. Steve Hilton says that the series is genius." – Alice Thomson writing in The Times

Barack Obama was 'really taken' with David Cameron – The Guardian's Andrew Sparrow

Nine out of ten MP still face questions over their expenses – Daily Telegraph

MPs are pocketing up to £5,000 an hour during their 82-day summer holiday – Daily Mail

As the Daily Telegraph begins a week-long series looking at the Conservatives, Anthony Seldon asks: What sort of Prime Minister would David Cameron be?

"Cameron is philosophy-lite for a Conservative leader, and does not fit into any clear mould of Tory history. He is a pragmatist, like Baldwin and Harold Macmillan, and his political agenda, rather than emanating from deep reading or religious convictions, has taken shape in response to events… Cameron will go into the general election next year with a manifesto built upon three pillars, known to his staff as the ''three brokens'': reforming the broken society, the broken economy and the broken politics." – Anthony Seldon writing in the Daily Telegraph

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